Red Velvet Cake
by Triforce Garner
Summary: Chase is working overtime these days and hasn't had any leisure time at all. But one day a huge storm blows in on Waffle Island and his day turns unexpected with the one person who walks in seeking refuge from the storm...and himself.


Author's Note:

I've been doing some Author's Note updating rounds (because all of this stuff is friggin old now! Sheesh!) and this one is one of the Notes I wanted to update. I do wanna make something clear though: I'm not happy with this oneshot to be honest. I don't know if I ever was either BUT I won't be editing the story. Just wanted to let you know that :D

Warnings: this oneshot contains male/male lemon. Anyone perturbed by this please stop reading immediately. Thank you.

Enjoy your reading.

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'Red Velvet Cake'

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Late nights spent cooking, cleaning, studying, repeat. And even though it was late in the evening, and no one else was in or around Sundae Inn, Chase was still in the kitchen doing whatever it was Yolanda had assigned for him that day. Not to mention it was raining outside, heavily. Just his luck.

Today was a coconut cake, and Chase knew it would be easy to cook up. It was just that, he was tired. He slept very little due to his constant studying or cooking. And afterward he'd be sent to clean up the entire downstairs inn. Can't a guy get a break? So, he tried to stay awake while he prepared the batter for the cake. Simple. And once he'd finished the cake batter, he poured it into a large circular pan and stuffed it into the oven at a certain degree.

He sighed as he looked around the messy kitchen, thinking, 'Yolanda won't like this…' He sighed once more and grabbed a dishcloth before scrubbing the countertops and making sure to keep watching the oven so that he didn't burn the cake. As the minutes ticked by Chase began to feel the effects of his lack of sleep. He had cleaned the kitchen to the utmost perfection, and leaned against the counter, letting his head fall into his arms. Closing his eyes, he hoped that sleep would come easily.

The Inn door made a tinkling noise as someone entered. Chase mentally groaned, and looked up in case it was Yolanda herself. But judging by the sound of the rain pouring down outside, he figured she wouldn't be coming in any time soon. So, curiosity getting the best of him, he stretched around the side of the countertop to see the Inn room. He raised an eyebrow as Gil stood in the middle, looking rather miffed.

"Gil, something you need?" Chase asked. Gil looked up quickly, half startled. He shook his head.

"Just looking for my father." he answered. Chase chuckled and grabbed a washcloth, cleaning his hands as he prepared to look at the cake inside the oven.

"Mayor Hamilton left hours ago. But you're welcome to stick around, it's bad outside." said Chase. He noticed that Gil was somewhat soaked, but seemed unperturbed by it. It certainly didn't show on his face.

"Yah." Gil said quietly. He sat down in front of the bar counter and watched as Chase pulled out the cake. He shook his head at the twinkle in Chase's eyes. The cake was perfectly cooked, and if Gil wasn't there, Chase probably would have done a victory dance.

He slowly set the cake down and grabbed his icing before slowly covering the cake. Gil watched, a bored expression on his face. From the concentration Chase was using to make the cake look just right, he figured he'd just keep silent and wait the storm out.

He looked around the kitchen. Different foods were sitting out in glass containers, keeping the cakes from aging. There was a tiny carrot cake and two medium sized blueberry cakes. But what caught Gil's attention the most, was the giant red velvet cake sitting on a big silver platter. It was extremely beautiful and artfully crafted. He wouldn't admit it aloud, but he thought Chase's cooking was a lot better than the others gave credit for. He grinned to himself, his ego being too large to say something of that caliber.

Instead, he lets his gaze shift to the counter, lost in thought. "You got anything hot to drink?" he asked, feeling chilled. Chase glanced at him briefly before turning to cabinet and pulling out…tomato's. Gil raised an eyebrow as Chase placed a pot on the stove to heat it up, gently coaxing it to boil. "How did you know I liked Tomato Juice?" he asked, confounded and a bit embarrassed. Chase chuckled as he returned to his cake, his eyes every once in a while checking the pot on the stove in a multitasking way.

"Just a wild guess." he said, still laughing. Gil shook his head.

"There's no way you could have known that." he said, but his eyes widened briefly at his sudden outburst of emotion and he quickly corrected himself back to calm. He straightened his bow around his shirt collar and brushed the hair out of his eyes like usual.

"You're right, there isn't." said Chase. "Luckily for you…" Gil's curiosity got the best of him and he perked up at Chase's words. Chase leaned over the counter, amethyst eyes staring into aqua ones.

"This is a small restaurant and I'm the main cook." Chase leaned back as he cleaned a glass in his left hand. "Yolanda may be head chef and all, but I'm second best, no doubt about it." he said, his own ego getting the best of him. Gil smirked.

"Really? And just how many cakes a day does Yolanda make?" he asked, his eyes once again reverting back to the beautifully decorated red velvet cake on the front counter. Chase stopped what he was doing, wondering if Gil was sick or going insane. He never complemented anyone, least, not Chase. Not that he'd ever heard of.

"Thanks." he said stiffly. Gil shook his head. Seconds later Chase registered in the back of his mind the tomato juice and he quickly walked over to simultaneously place the cup on the counter and mix the tomato juice. He sighed and turned off the burner as he poured a little of the warm juice in the cup. He set before Gil who thanked him before drinking from it, letting the warmth travel threw his cold form. He looked up at Chase curiously.

"So, you know what I like. But I don't know what you like." he said softly. Chase 'hmm'ed to himself before stacking some more clean glasses in the cabinet. He was waiting for the cake to finish cooling before he'd place it in a container for displaying.

"Oranges" he answered easily. "Anything orange. Orange cake, orange pie, orange juice…you name it. And marmalade!" he said. He smiled to himself at the memory of himself as a child, his face covered in the sweet tasting jelly. But such fond reminiscing didn't last long before his face turned serious again and he went back to scrubbing the dishes. Gil's eyes were trained to Chase's hands as they worked furiously to clean.

"Why do you work like this? Every time I see you you're either studying, cleaning, or cooking." he commented. Chase's eyes showed determination, and his hands showed no sign of stopping.

"Because if I don't, Yolanda might kick me out. I've always wanted to train under the best cook in the world, and so far I've always been told Yolanda was the one I needed to speak to. And without Yolanda, without strenuous work and study, I'll never cook at my fullest potential." he said. He sighed as he finally stopped cleaning, his head bent. "Cooking is my life. Without it life has no meaning. No family, no friends, just cooking."

Chase returned to his cleaning as Gil watched intently. "And that's why I do this." he finished. "What about you, mister 'Revitalize the Island?'" he asked back. Gil sat back, his mind working through different ways to answer that question. He finally said, "my father."

The room was silent a moment and Chase found himself hanging on the edge waiting for the next word Gil would say. "Ever since I was little, when my mother died, I felt like my father was always counting on me. He couldn't save the island like he wanted. I guess this is his way of doing it, through me. Sorting through the paper work and building a community. I may not be able to grow new Mother Tree's nor will I be able to create a rainbow…so I do everything else." he said. Chase nodded in understanding.

"I guess the pressure's on all of us to do something specific. And the funny thing is, they're all different." he said softly. Gil looked at the door of the Sundae Inn, the weather only worsening and he sighed as he shrank further into his chair.

"Guess I'll be here a while…" he murmured. Chase chuckled.

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing." he said mock cheerfully. Gil let a smile cross his features at this and he contemplated a good comeback.

"Hey, they say I'm mopey but you're just as bad. Like how you treat Maya." he offered. Chase stopped laughing and snapped his eyes toward Gil.

"Ugh, she's like a little annoying sister sometimes. Always fussing over me and asking me stupid questions." he reasoned. Gil chuckled.

"And what if she thinks you're an older annoying brother? You certainly act like one…" he said smirking. Chase's eyes widened and he shook his head furiously.

"D-do not!" he said back. Gil rolled his eyes playfully before Chase pulled himself together again. He noticed how easygoing and relaxed Chase was around him, and he found himself increasingly interested in the energetic strawberry blonde. The weeks previous had proved that as he watched Chase and his determination which reminded him of his own and in turn caused him to slowly fall for the cooking apprentice. He wondered if that was what Chase was thinking as well, and leaned a little over the counter so that he looked like he was closely examining his drink.

"Chase, what's that?" he asked, faking a concerned look. Chase frowned and walked over as a smile once again found it's way onto Gil's face. Chase leaned over as well.

"What do you mean, I don't see anyth-" he was stopped dead as Gil's lips pressed to his, his eyes wide. But before he could even react, Gil's fingers were tangled in his hair, pulling him down as a growl erupted from within his throat. Chase placed his hands on the counter and he closed his eyes as he carefully leaned forward, allowing the kiss to continue, Gil smirking in triumph. They could only continue for a few more seconds before they needed breath and broke their kiss with deep pants a red blushes covering their cheeks. Neither knew what to say to this and merely stared at each other in a mixture of shock and bliss.

"Did we just…?" Chase asked in disbelief. Gil nodded.

"Uh-huh" he answered back. They both grew silent before Gil's odd behaviour piqued Chase's interest.

"What're you doing?" he asked as Gil looked through the door windows to the abandoned Waffle Town walkway outside. He turned back to Chase.

"Where did Colleen, Jake, and Maya go?" he asked.

"Yolanda's. They told me about the storm ahead of time and said not to expect them back for a while." he said, and he saw a quick mischievous look on Gil's face that disappeared just as fast. "Why do you ask?"

Gil turned and walked to the kitchen, grabbing Chase's arm as he pulled him the staircase, Chase getting the hint. "I hope I'm safe in assuming that Selena is elsewhere?" he wondered as he got to the top. Chase merely nodded before Gil smiled back, Chase mirroring it.

Chase groaned as the younger platinum blonde raked his fingers through Chase's hair. He grinned, obviously very proud of himself. "Have you ever done this before?" asked Gil breathlessly. Chase chuckled and leaned forward for another kiss as a blush settled on his cheeks.

"Does it seem like it?" he asked. Gil thought for a moment as he fingered a stray strand of strawberry blonde hair.

"Hmm, well, we still have time to see." he said, smiling devilishly as he untied Chase's apron and pushed Chase down onto the bed, his fingers flying to his shirt to remove it. Chase watched hungrily as Gil's shirt was tossed, red ribbon bowtie included. Said boy then crawled atop the older and straddled his hips, never taking his eyes off of Chase's.

Chase buried his hands in Gil's hair, grinning against his lips as he politely shoved him down. "You came at a great time." Chase whispered as he trailed kisses down Gil's neck, referring to the storm still raging outside. Gil chuckled and unbuckled his pants before trying to remove Chase's work shirt.

"I'm glad." he murmured. He buckled his hips upward, catching Chase by surprise and eliciting a gasp from the strawberry blonde. "You're so cute when you're surprised."

Chase blushed a little, but decided to just go with it and buried his face in the crook of Gil's neck as the younger finished stripping them both of the rest of their clothes.

Hungry gazes fell over the other, as well as blushes of embarrassment, and Gil trailed his fingertips over Chase's chest, noticing Chase's sharp inhale of breath and sensitivity to touch. "I think I'm a bit too cold." he said, jokingly referring to his personality as well as his time spent in the rain outside. Chase grinned and leaned over Gil, the platinum blonde still lacing his fingers in Chase's hair.

"You're right, and you're wrong." he said, somehow managing to catch the true meaning of Gil's words.

"Oh really, and how so?" he asked as he rested his face again Chase's neck once more.

"You're more sensitive emotionally than you make yourself out to be. And as for this," he said, motioning to the window where the winds and rain could be observed, "I think we can do something about it."

Without saying another word, he leaned down, sucking on Gil's exposed neck and tracing the younger's narrow hips. Gil shivered as goose bumps erupted around him, and he cuddled Chase's face into his neck more as he pulled the older closer.

"Chase…" he groaned as he suddenly gripped the sheets. Chase chuckled darkly as he pulled back to examine Gil's face, a mixture of desire and need.

"Ask nicely." he teased. Gil's eyes narrowed, but the look in them betrayed him.

"Please…" he said, "just do it…"

Chase smiled and settled between Gil's legs. "All you had to do was ask." he said. He didn't take long in preparing the younger, and Gil stared at the ceiling intently before shutting them tightly to distract himself. He gasped loudly as Chase finally entered, and the older slowly began a reasonable pace, kissing Gil's temple softly.

"Gil…" he panted. Gil opened his eyes slightly and he leaned up, catching Chase's lips directly as their pace quickened. The pressure erupted and they gasped as they came suddenly, shock and satisfaction crossing their features.

"We're a lot alike you know." Chase whispered as he gently removed himself, laying next to the platinum blonde and lacing his fingers with the other's. Gil smiled and rested his chin on Chase's shoulder.

"That's why we belong together." he said softly as his eyes closed. "Because we understand each other, so it works out fine in the end. Don't suppose I mean more to you than cooking though."

Chase chuckled and kissed Gil's temple as he grabbed a warm blanket from the foot of the bed and wrapped them both in it, mostly to warm up Gil who still shivered. "Don't be silly, Gil. Of course you do. Now go to sleep you grump." he said.

Gil furrowed his eyebrows, his eyes still closed, and he squeezed Chase's hand. Chase looked at the younger curiously. "I love you, Chase." he said carefully. Chase smiled again and rolled onto his side, pulling Gil into a warm embrace as he buried his face in Gil's hair.

"I love you too, Gil."

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Author's Note:

Again, thank you for reading. Hope you all enjoyed!


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